Fabio Cannavaro

Defenders almost never win the Ballon d'Or, which is why Fabio Cannavaro's 2006 stands out. That year he captained Italy to the World Cup, collected the Ballon d'Or and became the only defender ever named FIFA World Player of the Year. He was short for a centre-back, yet he kept beating taller men to the ball. Born in Naples, he started out as a ball boy at Napoli, watching Diego Maradona and Ciro Ferrara up close. A youth coach moved him from midfield to centre-back, and one training session got him noticed: the youngster slid in on Maradona and took the ball off him. Teammates and staff were angry, but Maradona stood up for him and reportedly gave him his boots. In the first team beside Ferrara, he was soon reading play early and starting attacks after winning the ball. Parma made his name. Over seven seasons he became captain and, with Gianluigi Buffon and Lilian Thuram, formed one of the meanest defences in Europe, winning the UEFA Cup and two Coppa Italia titles. His international breakthrough came at Wembley in 1997, when Alan Shearer, seen by the home crowd as the best striker around, expected to make a fool of an inexperienced Italian. Cannavaro kept him quiet from start to finish, and Italy won 1–0. Reading the game was the heart of his defending, built on concentration, anticipation and positional sense. He was quick, agile and strong for his size, and his spring let him outjump bigger forwards, deal with crosses and score the occasional header from set pieces. His tackling was a real strength too, especially his precise sliding challenges. He suited a zonal system but was just as effective man-marking, and his tactical intelligence let him fill in at full-back for Héctor Cúper at Inter. Paolo Maldini called him Canna, the reed, playing on his surname and mental toughness. He took the armband from Maldini in 2002 and quickly won the squad over with his calm leadership. At the 2006 World Cup he played every minute and was never booked. Deep into extra time in the semi-final against Germany, he outjumped Per Mertesacker to clear, then charged out to rob Lukas Podolski and carried the ball to Francesco Totti, who set off the move for Italy's second goal. Italy conceded only an own goal and a Zidane penalty all tournament. He lifted the trophy on the night he won his 100th cap, and fans named him the Berlin Wall. He was not flawless. Bookings cost him big games, including the 2002 defeat to South Korea, which he missed through suspension. His last seasons were rough: back at Juventus in 2010 he was sent off early against Fulham for two reckless challenges, and the team fell apart. A serious knee problem ended his career in 2011, with 136 caps, a total only Buffon has beaten for Italy.